Dragon fruit can be considered as a superfood, being low in calories but high in fibre, antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, and containing healthy fatty acids and probiotics. Antioxidants are essential to protect cells from free radical damage, which cause chronic disease and ageing.
Yes, you can eat dragon fruit every day. Mary Sabat, RDN, says, “Eating dragon fruit daily may provide some health benefits, such as improved digestion, a boost of antioxidants, and more fiber.
In addition to its unique look, dragon fruit is rich in fiber and health protective antioxidants. Eating it more often may also offer important health benefits, from gut and immune support to improved circulation and chronic disease prevention.
Dragon fruit is a delicious and nutritious fruit that can be a healthy addition to your diet in moderation. However, eating too many can lead to some side effects, such as diarrhea, stomach upset, allergic reactions, and interference with medications.
Dragon fruit has many potential health benefits, including: It's rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, phenolic acid, and betacyanin. These natural substances protect your cells from damage by free radicals -- molecules that can lead to diseases like cancer and premature aging.
Pitaya has a moisture content of around 80%, protein content between 0.4 and 2.2 g, carbohydrate content between 8.5 g and 13.0 g, and its total sugar content is around 6.0 g per 100 g fresh weight [25,26].
Sugar Content
One serving of dragon fruit provides about 8-9 grams of sugar. It is less than many other tropical fruits. Besides, a low GI score of 48-52 is ideal for a diabetes management diet. The above benefits make dragon fruit a low-calorie and nutrient-dense fruit for diabetes.
For around the same number of calories, and with less carbs, dragon fruit offers comparable benefits to the blueberry. And if you are specifically seeking magnesium, pitaya is a superior choice.
Like its red counterpart, the yellow dragon fruit is a natural laxative, offering almost 5 grams of fiber for every six-ounce serving. Most of the fiber in dragon fruit is soluble fiber, which dissolves in water, softening stools and acting like a sponge to carry cholesterol out of the body.
It's packed with magnesium
“Low levels of magnesium may increase insomnia, so adding dragon fruit to the diet may help improve sleep,” says Palinski-Wade.
While all fruits are healthy, registered dietitian nutritionist Danielle Crumble Smith recommends one nutrient-packed fruit in particular – wild blueberries. Blueberries contain lots of fiber, which keeps you fuller for longer. They also rank among the fruits and vegetables with the highest antioxidant content.
Due to its low calorie and carb content, dragon fruit can help with weight loss when incorporated into a healthy diet. In addition, it is rich in fiber that helps to keep you full and reduce over-eating at mealtimes.
Dragon fruit is rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C, polyphenols, phytonutrients, carotenoids, and others. They offer many health benefits. However, overeating dragon fruit could result in excess antioxidants like beta-carotene, which may lead to the development of lung cancer.
You may already know this from other fruits, but the redder the color, the more antioxidants will be present in the fruit itself. In other words, red-fleshed dragon fruit tends to have higher antioxidant amounts. Next to this, the red variant also contains more vitamin C.
It is a great way to detox the digestive system. Dragon Fruit has a high fibre content and helps clean out the system, keeping poor digestion and constipation at bay. In fact, the type of fibre it has can even help reduce risk of certain cancers, heart disease, manage Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Collagen Production - Vitamin C stimulates fibroblasts to produce new collagen, which keeps your skin tight and robust. Including dragon fruit in your regular skin care routine or diet will help lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
While morning is considered to be the best time to consume fruits as the digestive system breaks down the fruit sugar quickly and provides it with all the nutrients, the dragon fruit can be had as a mid meal or in the night, too. In fact, when had at night, it helps induce better sleep, Bakshi noted.
It may improve your gut health
Healthy bacteria in your gut may help digestion and even reduce colon cancer risk. Dragon fruit is a prebiotic that boosts the growth of probiotics lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. “Some studies appear to show that dragon fruit promoted the growth of healthy gut bacteria,” says Prescott.
This fruit contains high levels of vitamin C that boosts immunity and helps you stay healthy. More Vitamin C means that your body is capable of fighting deadly infections that you might be prone to. All you need to do is to consume 1 cup (200 grams) of this fruit every day and stay healthy.
Dragon fruit is expensive because it is a tropical fruit that is not grown in many parts of the world. The majority of dragon fruit comes from Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Mexico. Since it takes a long time for dragon fruit trees to mature and produce fruit, the overall yield is low.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) , dragon fruit has the following nutritional value in a serving of 100 grams (g), which is roughly the size of one dragon fruit): Calories: 60. Protein: 1.18 g. Fat: 0 g.
Pee with a reddish color
Red dragon fruit can cause your pee to become pink or red if you consume enough of it. This symptom appears to be far more serious than it is. If you consume a lot of beets, something similar can happen. When the fruit is no longer in your system, your urine should return to its usual color.
According to some studies dragon fruit can reduce the rate of uric acid in the blood and prevent gout and diabetes. Just 600-700g of dragon fruit is enough to provide the necessary amount of vitamin C for the body to fight diseases caused by vitamin C deficiency and scurvy.